The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Lagos Zonal office, has arraigned two Indians, Sahil Sharma and Pranjal Singh, before Justice Rilwan Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, for offences bordering on alleged illegal dealing in petroleum products.
A press statement by the EFCC Head, medi and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, Friday in Abuja, said Sharma, 31; and Singh, 20; were arraigned separately after they were arrested by officers of the Nigerian Navy Ship, NNS Nguru, aboard a vessel, MV Bount, containing 45.9metric tonnes of AGO on January 31, 2020.
He said the defendants were subsequently handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and prosecution.
The spokesperson said the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges preferred against them and in view of their pleas, the Prosecution Counsel, Abbas Muhammed, prayed the court for a trial date to enable the prosecution prove its case against them.
He said the Defence Counsel, Nelson Otaji, however, told the court that bail applications for the defendants had been filed and were before the court and pleaded that the defendants be remanded in the custody of the EFCC pending the hearing of their bail applications.
Oyewale said prosecution counsel told the court that he just got the applications for bail and would, therefore, need time to file counter-affidavits.
Muhammed further told the court that the defendants would be tested for Covid-19 as part of the requirements for them to be taken into the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCS).
After listening to both parties, Justice Aikawa adjourned the case till October 15, 2020, for trial and also fixed July 2, 2020, for hearing of the bail applications, while granting the application for them to be remanded in the EFCC custody in the interim.
